Family fun for riders at AMA Classic Field Meet Challenge

The Markle family came from Shelbyville, Ind., for some fun at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and the AMA Classic Field Meet Challenge provided it on Saturday.

Story by Jim Witters
Photos by Halley Miller

The Markle family (right) came from Shelbyville, Ind., for some fun at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and the AMA Classic Field Meet Challenge provided it on Saturday.

Father Rick Markle and daughters Taryn, 13, and Kelsey, 15, competed in the barrel race, a timed competition in which riders loop around cones on course. The field meet event was staged on grass, which made the cornering a little tricky.

Rick went down as he tried to make a U-turn at the finish line, dropping his 1981 Honda C70 and tumbling unharmed to the ground. He got up laughing.

“I did this two years ago, and I loved it,” he said. “It wasn’t here last year. But I am glad it’s back. It’s good for the kids to be able to come over and do something active.”

Taryn, who was tearing around the field on a 2006 Honda CRF100F, agreed.

“Dad told us about these events, how fun they are,” she said.

Kelsey said the family rides a lot on their 190 acres back home. Her bike is a 2003 Honda XR80R.

Unsure what to expect, she was a bit reluctant to attend her first AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

“I didn’t plan on coming,” she said. “I don’t like to camp. But this has really been an enjoyable experience, and I definitely want to come back.”

Since the early 1900s, motorcycle riders have participated in field meets, which include a number of fun, casual games on motorcycles. This weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, will offer several free activities for attendees of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

ABATE of Ohio oversees field meet registration and officiating, with special assistance from the Louisville Vintage Motorworks, an AMA-chartered motorcycle club based in Louisville, Ky.

The AMA Classic Field Meet Challenge will take place on the infield of the road race course on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.